Broadcast frame with feedback

Abstract

Stations (STAs) in the network transmit broadcast frames which incorporate sharing information about specific parameter settings in the basic service set (BSS). Updates are transmitted to the other STAs when parameter settings change, which include version information about the parameter settings. A STA receiving an update records version information, which is incorporated in any response or broadcast back to the transmitting station to indicate that the specific update was properly received. The transmitting STA can indicate which other STAs are to provide feedback to the update information. The sharing information, or indicated portions thereof, may be shared with overlapping BSS STAs as well.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for wireless communication in a network, the apparatus comprising:
 (a) a wireless communication circuit, as a wireless station (STA) operating under IEEE 802.11 as either an Access Point (AP) or a non-AP STA, is configured for wirelessly communicating packets over a channel with other wireless stations (STAs), which are either APs or non-AP STAs, on a wireless local area network (WLAN) in which Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) is applied; 
 (b) a processor coupled to said wireless communication circuit for operating on the WLAN as a STA; 
 (c) a non-transitory memory storing instructions executable by the processor for communicating with other STAs; and 
 (d) wherein said instructions, when executed by the processor, perform one or more steps of broadcasting a type of sharing frame containing sharing information which carries specific parameter settings to share with other STAs comprising:
 (i) a STA communicates an update sequence to indicate the version of its specific parameter settings; 
 (ii) a STA operating as a first STA broadcasts a sharing frame carrying an update sequence and specific parameter settings to share with other STAs on the WLAN; 
 (iii) receiving said sharing frame by said second STA as received from said first STA, and recording the update sequence of the first STA by said second station; and 
 (iv) reporting a most recent update sequence as received from said first STA, by said second station broadcasting a sharing frame including update sequence information. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further perform steps comprising incrementing an update sequence value in the next sharing frame when said STA has an update of its specific parameter settings prior to said STA broadcasting a sharing frame containing an update sequence. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said sharing frame being shared by said first STA comprises an update sequence in a specific field of the frame utilized for communicating a sequence control field. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further perform steps comprising sharing the update sequence information in a frame being shared with Overlapped Basic Service Set (OBSS) STAs. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further perform steps comprising utilizing the sharing information and update sequence as received by said second station receiving a sharing frame, even if the sharing information is received from a different BSSs. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said first STA and said second STA can operate on different links. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further perform steps comprising:
 requesting feedback for the frame from specific STAs when said STA broadcasts a sharing frame; and 
 receiving feedback as other STAs perform the request by indicating whether the sharing frame was received correctly. 
 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further perform steps comprising allocating channel resources for transmission of feedback when said STA broadcasts a frame and requests feedback of the frame. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further perform steps comprising indicating which information from the specific parameters settings are to be shared with an OBSS STA when said STA transmits a broadcast frame, so that said OBSS STA utilize the indicated information from the broadcast frame. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further perform steps comprising indicating which OBSS STAs the specific parameter settings are to be shared with when said STA broadcasts a frame and requests feedback for the frame. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further comprises indicating which information of the specific parameter settings are to be shared with the OBSS in a field for indicating high throughput (HT) control information. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further comprises indicating which information of the specific parameter settings are to be shared with the OBSS in a field containing an OBSS-shared element. 
     
     
       13. An apparatus for wireless communication in a network, the apparatus comprising:
 (a) a wireless communication circuit, as a wireless station (STA) operating under IEEE 802.11 as either an Access Point (AP) or a non-AP STA, is configured for wirelessly communicating packets over a channel with other wireless stations (STAs), which are either APs or non-AP STAs, on a wireless local area network (WLAN) in which Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) is applied; 
 (b) a processor coupled to said wireless communication circuit for operating on the WLAN as a STA; 
 (c) a non-transitory memory storing instructions executable by the processor for communicating with other STAs; and 
 (d) wherein said instructions, when executed by the processor, perform one or more steps of broadcasting a type of sharing frame containing sharing information which carries specific parameter settings to share with other STAs comprising broadcasting a sharing frame containing specific parameter settings and requesting feedback upon receipt of the sharing frame from specific STAs on the network, so that STAs on the network can determine that they are being requested to send feedback and send an indication that the sharing frame was received correctly. 
 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further perform steps comprising allocating channel resources to support transmission of the feedback when said STA broadcasting the frame requests feedback of the frame reception. 
     
     
       15. An apparatus for wireless communication in a network, the apparatus comprising:
 (a) a wireless communication circuit, as a wireless station (STA) operating under IEEE 802.11 as either an Access Point (AP) or a non-AP STA, is configured for wirelessly communicating packets over a channel with other wireless stations (STAs), which are either APs or non-AP STAs, on a wireless local area network (WLAN) in which Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) is applied; 
 (b) a processor coupled to said wireless communication circuit for operating on the WLAN as a STA; 
 (c) a non-transitory memory storing instructions executable by the processor for communicating with other STAs; and 
 (d) wherein said instructions, when executed by the processor, perform one or more steps of broadcasting a type of sharing frame containing sharing information which carries specific parameter settings to share with other STAs comprising:
 (i) indicating, by said STA acting as a transmitter in a first BSS, which information is being shared with an overlapped basic service set (OBSS) when said STA broadcasts a beacon frame to an STA in the OBSS; and 
 (ii) receiving, by said STA acting as a receiver in an OBSS, the broadcast frame and using the indication on which information is being shared in determining which parameters to utilize. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further perform steps comprising indicating which OBSS STAs the specific parameter settings are to be shared with when said STA broadcasts a frame and requests feedback for the frame. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further comprises indicating which information of the specific parameter settings are to be shared with the OBSS in a field for indicating high throughput (HT) control information. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said instructions when executed by the processor further comprises indicating which information of the specific parameter settings are to be shared with the OBSS in a field containing an OBSS-shared element. 
     
     
       19. A method for performing wireless communication in a network configured for wirelessly communicating under IEEE 802.11 packets over a channel with other wireless stations (STAs) on a wireless local area network (WLAN) in which Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) is applied, comprising steps:
 (a) broadcasting a sharing frame containing information about parameter settings to other STAs in a basic service set; 
 (b) communicating an update sequence which incorporates version information for the specific parameter settings for sharing with other STAs on the WLAN; 
 (c) receiving the sharing frame by a second STA on the network which performs recording of the version information from the update sequence; and 
 (d) reporting recent update sequence version information as received from said STA, when said second station broadcasts a sharing frame including the recorded version information from the update sequence.